Jesse Jackson Jr. leaves federal prison for halfway house

CHICAGO (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was released from an Alabama federal prison early today, two years after pleading guilty to spending $750,000 in campaign money on personal items, his father said.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson described his son's release from the minimum-security federal prison camp at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., as a "joyous reunion" and said the younger Jackson was doing "very well."

Jackson, a 50-year-old Illinois Democrat, began his sentence on Nov. 1, 2013. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons lists his release date as Sept. 20, 2015. Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who visited Jackson on Monday, said Jackson would serve out the remainder of his 2 1/2-year term in a Washington, D.C., halfway house. Jackson must also spend three years on supervised release and complete 500 hours of community service.

Jackson served in Congress from 1995 until he resigned in November 2012. In June 2012 he took medical leave for treatment of bipolar disorder and other issues.

Jackson's wife, Sandra Jackson, a former Chicago alderman, was sentenced to a year in prison for filing false joint federal income tax returns that knowingly understated the income the couple received. She must serve her term after her husband completes his sentence. The couple has two children.